Massachusetts has a long and storied history, and it has its fair share of fascinating ruins to prove it. While not all of the state’s abandoned spots are accessible, there are some that allow you to drive or hike right up. This road trip will take you across the state to some of the most interesting and easy-to-reach abandoned places in Massachusetts you can visit.

Check out this interactive map for addresses and directions. Please note: Some of these places have interiors or areas that are off-limits to the public. Please obey all trespassing laws and be respectful of others’ property when exploring.

Google Maps
1. Becket Land Trust Historic Quarry and Forest, Becket
Becket Land Trust & Historic, 12 Brooker Hill Rd, Becket, MA 01223, USA
Tripadvisor/Ramblindan
The woods of Becket are hiding a park unlike any other in the world. This nature preserve is filled with the abandoned ruins of 200-year-old mining equipment, vehicles, and buildings. The ruins are left from the time when the area was an active quarry, and visitors can climb and investigate all of the abandoned sites. This park is open to the public for exploration. Come and see why this is one of the most interesting abandoned places in Western Massachusetts.
2. Belchertown State School for the Feeble Minded, Belchertown
Belchertown State School, 6 Berkshire Ave, Belchertown, MA 01007, USA
Flux Axiom/Flickr
This abandoned state school was built in 1922 to care for and to educate people with mental disabilities or psychological conditions. By the 1970s, it had become notorious for its inhumane treatment of patients and terrible sanitary conditions. The school has been closed for about 40 years, but many of the old buildings remain standing. This is one of the scariest abandoned places in Western Massachusetts.
3. Rutland Farm Prison Camp, Rutland
Rutland Prison Camp, 299 Intervale Rd, Rutland, MA 01543, USA
Gonzalez Thomas C/Google Local
This abandoned Massachusetts prison camp can be found in the woods of a state park in Rutland. The complex was built in 1903 to house minor offenders like drunkards and petty thieves. Instead of being confined in a cell all day, the prisoners were expected to work the land and cultivate potatoes, as well as tend cows and chickens. In 1907, a tuberculosis hospital was added to the prison. It was finally abandoned in 1934, but the ruins are still standing and fully open to the public.

Take a look at this video by @lesnyk255:

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4. Clinton Railroad Tunnel, Clinton
Train Tunnel - closed, Boylston St, Clinton, MA 01510, USA
Flickr/Adam Rose
The Clinton Railroad Tunnel has a spooky history. Built in the late 1800s, over 4,000 bodies from a local burial ground had to be unearthed and moved to construct this tunnel and the neighboring Wachusett Dam. Since then, people have reported all manner of ghostly phenomena near this abandoned site. The railroad tunnel is completely open for public exploration. This is certainly one creepy place in Massachusetts.

Take a look at this video by @JasonAllard:
5. Metropolitan State Hospital and Metfern Cemetery, Waltham
Metfern Cemetery, Waltham, MA 02452, USA
Flickr/Zach
This spooky-looking state hospital opened in 1930, and it bears a particularly macabre nickname – the Hospital of the Seven Teeth. In 1978, Melvin Wilson killed fellow patient Anne Marie Davee and buried her remains in three different locations around the hospital grounds. However, he kept seven of her teeth for trophies. Today, most of the buildings have been demolished. However, a quick trip down the Western Greenway Trail will lead you to the hospital's old burial ground, Metfern Cemetery. You can still see the simple graves. You will love exploring the hospital which is one of the most interesting abandoned places in Massachusetts you can visit.
6. Franklin Park Zoo Bear Cages, Boston
Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Rd, Boston, MA 02121, USA
Flickr/Linden Tea
You might recognize this abandoned zoo from the 2003 film Mystic River. Set away from the main area of the Franklin Park Zoo, this strange enclosure was built in 1912 and served to house a number of large bears. The public loved to come and watch the bears roam around their stone home, but the intricately carved enclosure is now abandoned and slowly being overtaken by nature. This area is open to the public for exploration.

Take a look at this video by @cityofboston:
7. Fort Revere, Hull
Fort Revere, Hull, MA 02045, USA
John Phelan/Wikimedia Commons
Visiting Fort Revere is a great way to pack a beach day and a bit of ruin exploration into one trip. Located in the scenic village of Hull, this decommissioned military fort was in use from the Revolutionary War all the way until World War II. It was taken out of active service in 1947, and the public is welcome to explore its abandoned halls and stone rooms. It's one of the most fascinating creepy places in Massachusetts you can visit.
8. Dogtown, Gloucester
Dogtown Commons, Gloucester, MA 01930, USA
Flickr/Suzanne Hunt
This is a bona fide Massachusetts ghost town. Its history includes everything from rumors of witchcraft to packs of roving dogs, and the town is even studded with peculiar boulders bearing inspirational or reprimanding messages. While there aren't any standing homes left, it's fun to explore the old foundations and try to find all of the bizarre boulders. But of all the creepy places in Massachusetts, Dogtown comes out on top.

What are your favorite abandoned places in Massachusetts you can visit? Mine happens to be the Franklin Park Zoo Bear Cages. Let us know in the comments! If spooky and scary are more your style, check out these 15 terrifying places across Massachusetts that will send shivers up your spine.

Before you head out on this road trip, be sure to check out our road trip essentials checklist for everything you need!

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More to Explore

Abandoned Places In Massachusetts

Beth Price-Williams | February 01, 2020

What is the most famous abandoned place in Massachusetts?

The most famous abandoned place in Massachusetts is the Clinton Rail Tunnel. The .02-mile-long tunnel dates back to 1903, but it closed in the 1950s.

For those who are intent on walking through the tunnel, make sure to wear waterproof shoes, and bring a flashlight as it can get pretty dark in the tunnel.

What is the most haunted place in Massachusetts?

How does a haunted road trip in Massachusetts sound? Visit such haunted places in Massachusetts as the Hoosac Tunnel in North Adams. It took more than a quarter of a century to build the tunnel. During that time, more than 200 miners died in accidents and today there have been reports of ghostly figures.

Can I go ghost-hunting in Massachusetts?

For ghost-hunting in Massachusetts, head to Stone’s Public House in Ashland.

  • Dating back to the early 1800s, the bar and restaurant is said to be haunted by the spirit of around seven ghosts, including John Stone.
  • The ghosts, according to a ghost hunter, are believed to come from the 1800s, still lingering after a murder during a card game.
  • Be prepared for the unexpected, such as a hand on your shoulder. When you turn around, however, no one is there.
  • Faucets are also said to turn on when no one’s around.

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